BYU football held a press conference Saturday morning to introduce new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to the media.
“It’s a great day for BYU football,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “Coach Grimes loves his players, enjoys his role as a mentor, and gets the most out of his players both on and off the field. I look forward to him making that impact here at BYU football.”
It was announced Thursday that Grimes would take over as the new offensive coordinator, leaving his offensive line coach position at LSU to replace Ty Detmer on the BYU staff.
Grimes mentioned that he will coach his last game for LSU on Jan. 1, when the Tigers take on Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl.
“My most immediate goals are, number one, to put together the best offensive staff that BYU has ever had,” said Grimes to begin his remarks.
Grimes and Sitake have discussed several options already for members of the staff, but no decisions have been made as of yet.
Grimes was a member of the BYU football staff from 2004-2006 as the offensive line coach.
“I’m excited to come back to a place I love,” Grimes said. “The timing is right for BYU to have a guy like me in this position.”
He coached at four other schools after BYU, including Auburn, where he won a national championship in 2010.
At LSU he helped lead the Tigers to a 9-3 record this year, including a 27-0 battering of BYU on Sep. 2.
Four of the offensive linemen that Grimes coached over the last four years were drafted into the NFL.
Both Sitake and Grimes mentioned the priority Grimes places on getting to know the players and bringing out the best in them.
“I think it’s really, really important that you build an offense around the skill set that you have,” Grimes said of his approach to personnel. “We will be very demanding, but love the guys too.”
Grimes mentioned that he first met Sitake when he was coaching at the University of Utah, and spent hours on the phone with him about coming to BYU in recent weeks.
“(I talked) with more people about this job than all of my other jobs combined,” Grimes said.
After the discussions he was left with three lasting impressions:
1. The program is headed in the right direction
2. Sitake is a great person/coach
3. There is enough talent at BYU to win
“There are a lot of ways to create balance, but I look at the football field as a battleground,” Grimes said on his offensive strategy. “I would never turn down a great quarterback who’s a thrower, who’s a winner, but may not be a great athlete.”
Grimes has his work cut out for him in deciding who will start at the quarterback position, with the Tanner Mangum and Beau Hoge fighting injuries, and a slew of up-and-coming talent chomping at the bit.
He will make his official arrival in Provo after the Citrus Bowl, which is his number-one priority in the short-term.
